Short message service (SMS) is a globally-accepted wireless service that enables the transmission of relatively short alphanumeric or text messages between mobile subscribers and other external systems, such as SMS applications, which support SMS. One standard for implementing SMS is defined by The Third Generation Partnership Project (3GGP) in their Technical Specifications Document Number 3GPP TS 23.040 V6.6.0 entitled “3rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Terminals; Technical Realization of the Short Message Service (SMS)”, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference it its entirety. Because of the significant growth in the number of consumers using wireless communication devices (e.g., mobile phones, smart phones, personal digital assistants, automobile dashboard-type GPS and other devices, etc.) and the frequency with which users send SMS messages using these devices, SMS has achieved huge success in the wireless industry. SMS is now a significant revenue generator for wireless carriers and SMS application service providers. While some SMS implementations generate revenue from end users based on subscription revenues (e.g., mobile carrier or SMS application subscriptions), others generate or supplement revenue from advertisements.
SMS technology, however, suffers from the problem that (as compared to other online or web-based delivery systems) there is a relatively high per message cost for sending SMS messages due to the infrastructure of the carrier network. To offset this cost, one revenue model involves selling sponsorships to advertisers. The provider of the SMS message enables an advertiser to place a text advertisement or other information in the contents of the message. This model does provide some revenue opportunities, although they are limited because of the simplicity of the advertising content and the inherent presentation limitations of SMS technology.
Some SMS providers attempt to address this problem by supplementing the content of the SMS message with links to other online resources. For example, the SMS message may include a link to a mobile web site (e.g., a wireless access protocol (WAP) site), where the user may view additional information via a browser. This solution does offer an additional revenue opportunity by enabling the provider of the WAP site to sell advertisements on the WAP site. However, the revenues generated from WAP advertisements cannot be allocated to the SMS provider, and there is no mechanism for extending the SMS sponsorship to the WAP site. Thus, despite the growth and commercial success of SMS technology, there remains a need for improved systems and methods for providing advertisements using SMS technology.